Treatment court established specifically to help veterans

From left, Prosecutor Tim Abel, veteran Rebecca Baldwin and Circuit Judge Tim Riley discuss Baldwin's case Wednesday during the Marshall County Veterans Court at the Marshall County Courthouse in Guntersville. The veterans court was created to address the legal troubles specific to veterans.

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Marshall County created Veterans Treatment Court for this reason, because unique problems require unique solutions.

“These (people) are not normally your criminal element,” Circuit Judge Tim Riley said. “These are pretty good guys and women who worked hard for their country all over the world.”

The crimes that bring veterans into the courtroom range from drug and alcohol problems to domestic violence. Readjusting to life after war is difficult, and many returning veterans have problems because of what they saw or did while they were overseas.

According to statistics provided by the court, 9 percent to 10 percent of the criminal justice population are veterans.

Riley has seen these problems firsthand. In addition to being a judge, Riley is a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard. He recounted a story where several soldiers showed up very late and very drunk one weekend.

As a judge advocate general officer, these men had to stand before him to answer for being absent without leave, or AWOL. When they told their side of the story, Riley knew the standard punishment for their offenses wasn't appropriate.

“These guys had just come back from combat in Iraq and it turned out their Humvees had been hit (by a roadside bomb) and a lot of their buddies were killed,” Riley said. “They said they had to wash what was left of their buddies out with a water hose and separate the body parts.”

He said these men were in their early 20s and the only way they knew how to cope with what they had seen was a heavy dose of whiskey. Riley instead deferred adjudication and sent them to get counseling, as they obviously were suffering from post-traumatic stress.

The Veterans Treatment Court will function in much the same way. The process is similar to drug courts, where in most cases charges will be dismissed once a defendant completes a court-ordered treatment plan.

Riley decided to begin the court when he saw articles about the original veterans court that was started in 2008 in Buffalo, N.Y., by Judge Robert Russell Jr. It has become the model for other veterans courts around the country.

One of the unique aspects of the court is its partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs. While the court stipulates the veterans must get treatment, the VA determines the type of treatment.

The court had its first docket on Wednesday and saw four defendants, one from each branch of service. Rebecca Baldwin was one of the four. She is a former Navy corpsman, serving during the Clinton administration. Baldwin eventually fell into problems with drugs, which led to legal problems. She is in veterans court because she violated her probation for possession of a bad check.

She originally was in drug court for the violation, and is happy she now is in veterans court. In addition to helping her, she thinks the creation of this court will do a lot of good for the community.

“There's a lot of people out there that need a specific program for veterans,” Baldwin said. “We have a specific set of problems.”

Program Director Marcheta Shaw said Baldwin, Shelby, Pike, Russell, St. Clair and Tuscaloosa counties will be creating veterans courts, and Montgomery and Birmingham already have one in place.

Shaw also is project director for drug court in Marshall County. While substance abuse problems are a large contributor to what brings veterans in front of Riley, that won't be the sole focus in veterans court.

“Veterans court is veteran-first,” Shaw said. “It may not be drug- or alcohol-related whatsoever. They may just have trouble dealing with life after returning.”

Riley said he's happy the court is up and running. He said he comes from a family of veterans, and helping veterans in need is very personal to him.

“I'm a veteran myself and I have an interest in veterans' affairs,” Riley said. “I kind of identify with those guys.”

<p>When veterans run afoul of the law, their offenses often are similar to those seen day-in and day-out in criminal court. Unlike other offenders, however, veterans have a unique set of problems.</p><p>Marshall County created Veterans Treatment Court for this reason, because unique problems require unique solutions.</p><p>“These (people) are not normally your criminal element,” Circuit Judge Tim Riley said. “These are pretty good guys and women who worked hard for their country all over the world.”</p><p>The crimes that bring veterans into the courtroom range from drug and alcohol problems to domestic violence. Readjusting to life after war is difficult, and many returning veterans have problems because of what they saw or did while they were overseas.</p><p>According to statistics provided by the court, 9 percent to 10 percent of the criminal justice population are veterans.</p><p>Riley has seen these problems firsthand. In addition to being a judge, Riley is a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard. He recounted a story where several soldiers showed up very late and very drunk one weekend.</p><p>As a judge advocate general officer, these men had to stand before him to answer for being absent without leave, or AWOL. When they told their side of the story, Riley knew the standard punishment for their offenses wasn't appropriate.</p><p>“These guys had just come back from combat in Iraq and it turned out their Humvees had been hit (by a roadside bomb) and a lot of their buddies were killed,” Riley said. “They said they had to wash what was left of their buddies out with a water hose and separate the body parts.”</p><p>He said these men were in their early 20s and the only way they knew how to cope with what they had seen was a heavy dose of whiskey. Riley instead deferred adjudication and sent them to get counseling, as they obviously were suffering from post-traumatic stress.</p><p>The Veterans Treatment Court will function in much the same way. The process is similar to drug courts, where in most cases charges will be dismissed once a defendant completes a court-ordered treatment plan. </p><p>Riley decided to begin the court when he saw articles about the original veterans court that was started in 2008 in Buffalo, N.Y., by Judge Robert Russell Jr. It has become the model for other veterans courts around the country.</p><p>One of the unique aspects of the court is its partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs. While the court stipulates the veterans must get treatment, the VA determines the type of treatment.</p><p>The court had its first docket on Wednesday and saw four defendants, one from each branch of service. Rebecca Baldwin was one of the four. She is a former Navy corpsman, serving during the Clinton administration. Baldwin eventually fell into problems with drugs, which led to legal problems. She is in veterans court because she violated her probation for possession of a bad check.</p><p>She originally was in drug court for the violation, and is happy she now is in veterans court. In addition to helping her, she thinks the creation of this court will do a lot of good for the community.</p><p>“There's a lot of people out there that need a specific program for veterans,” Baldwin said. “We have a specific set of problems.”</p><p>Program Director Marcheta Shaw said Baldwin, Shelby, Pike, Russell, St. Clair and Tuscaloosa counties will be creating veterans courts, and Montgomery and Birmingham already have one in place.</p><p>Shaw also is project director for drug court in Marshall County. While substance abuse problems are a large contributor to what brings veterans in front of Riley, that won't be the sole focus in veterans court. </p><p>“Veterans court is veteran-first,” Shaw said. “It may not be drug- or alcohol-related whatsoever. They may just have trouble dealing with life after returning.”</p><p>Riley said he's happy the court is up and running. He said he comes from a family of veterans, and helping veterans in need is very personal to him.</p><p>“I'm a veteran myself and I have an interest in veterans' affairs,” Riley said. “I kind of identify with those guys.”</p>